Audio/Book Review of Miss Marple's Final Cases by Agatha Christie

Synopsis:

A collection of Miss Marple mysteries, plus some bonus short stories…

First, the mystery man in the church with a bullet-wound… then, the riddle of a dead man’s buried treasure… the curious conduct oif a caretaker after a fatal riding accident… the corpse and a tape-measure… the girl framed for theft… and the suspect accused of stabbing his wife with a dagger.

Six gripping cases with one thing in common – the astonishing deductive powers of Miss Marple.

Also includes two non-Marple mysteries, ‘The Dressmaker’s Doll’ and ‘In a Glass Darkly’.

Review:

Miss Marple's Final Cases by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic collection of Miss Marple tales! I loved them!

I downloaded this set of six Miss Marple stories in audiobook for my mom, so it would give her something to occupy her time while recuperating; she had been very ill in hospital at the time. I decided to listen to it myself once she had recovered, because I love Agatha Christie's mystery books too.

This audiobook was narrated by one of the best actresses (I feel) to have portrayed Miss Marple, Dame Joan Hickson. Her narration of six of the stories brought them to life for me. And, as she also acted in some of them on TV as serial episodes, I could picture them with ease.

The stories in this collection are:
The man found dying in the church sanctuary
The puzzle of Uncle Henry's hidden legacy
The baffling mystery of the stabbing of Mrs Rhodes
The question of the murderer with the tape-measure
The case of Miss Skinner's Maid
The curious conduct of the caretaker
There are also two bonus stories that were narrated very well by another lady, which were not Miss Marple mysteries. They were called 'The Dressmaker’s Doll’ and ‘In a Glass Darkly’.

Each one of these stories was very entertaining. I love reading mysteries, and Agatha Christie, in my opinion, wrote some of the best detective novels of her day. Her two most well known characters, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, have entertained readers like me for many years. However, I don't think these were her best stories. Although Joan Hickson did a remarkable job in telling these tales, Agatha Christie seemed to have had rushed a couple of them; the plots were not as solid as her earlier pieces. I will say that The Dressmaker's Doll was extremely spooky, and more like a ghost story than a mystery. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to listen to all of the stories in this collection. I will be revisiting them again, I am sure!

I highly recommend this book if you love classic mystery or thriller genres. - Lynn Worton

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